Most Characters in Stories Have Different Personalities from Others

Most characters in stories have different personalities from others, but some have very distinct characteristics that make them who they are in the stories. This is also evident in the short story The Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl. It takes place in the olden days when wives were submissive to their husband. This short story is about a lady named Mary Maloney who is perceived as a house wife who is devoted to her husband. However, after a course of events, Mary Maloney unexpectedly murders her husband. The short story is very suspenseful as it is unpredictable. Throughout Roald Dahl’s “Lamb to the Slaughter", Mary Maloney's complex personality is shown through her cold-hearted actions as well as her loyalty for her husband and her cleverness.

To start off, Mary Maloney has a complex personality when she displays her cold- hearted nature. Mary Maloney demonstrated her cold - hearted nature by not showing any remorse when she brutally murdered her husband. For example, after knowing she had murdered her husband, she felt no guilt, nor did she become hysterical. Evidently, she stayed calm throughout the situation even though “[...] She knew quite well what the penalty would be [and] that was fine [with her]" (Dahl 3). Without a doubt, her cold-hearted actions were presented when she showed no concern to the fact that she may face severe consequences for murdering her husband. Next, Mary Maloney is shown to be cold-hearted through her actions because she did not hesitate to kill her husband. Mary Maloney did not falter to kill her husband when she"[...] walked up behind him and without any pause she swung the [...] leg of lamb and brought it down [...] the back of his head" (Dahl 3). This portrays her cold hearted nature because she did not ponder the fact that she was about to murder her husband